Fullerton Union High School Environmental Science Club students, under the guidance of their teacher, Danica Perez, and in collaboration with local biologists Jacob Lloyd Davies and Kristal Watrous and the Friends of Coyote Hills, took part in a hands-on restoration effort at the West Coyote Hills Tree Park. Equipped with gloves, shovels, and other tools generously donated by Ganahl Lumber and private individuals, the students were at the forefront of the operation, diligently removing invasive plants. Their collective aim is to transform this area into a thriving native coastal sage scrub plant community, benefiting both the habitat and the park. 

The recent rains have brought an abundance of greenery and color to our local outdoors. The cool spring air was filled with the herbal scent of cudweed and other plants. Jacob and Kristal used this outdoor setting to teach the students about the plants and animals they encountered. They identified plants as native or invasive and the impact they have on the animals that live in and around the park. For example, those pretty yellow flowers of the mustard plant that amass our hills in the spring is a common invasive plant of the Western United States introduced by Spanish colonizers; they don’t provide much native wildlife value. The mustard crowds out native plants that native wildlife depend on for food and shelter, risking their viability. An example is the Diadasia australis ground-nesting bees found in the area, which depend exclusively on the prickly pear cactus blossoms for food. 

This is not the first instance of these students stepping up for their community. Guided by Danica, they have previously organized cleanups in downtown Fullerton. However, their ambition to make a more significant impact led them to the restoration project. With the City’s support, they are now setting their sights on future projects at Fullerton Parks, including a pollinator meadow, a riparian oak woodland, and urban greening with native plants at the future Union Pacific Trail. 

If you want to support future restoration and planting projects, please contact restoration@coyotehills.org.